Noumea (New Caledonia) - Tahiti is raring to outperform their last appearance in the upcoming FIBA U17 Oceania Championship in New Caledonia.
 
Tahiti played in the Finals of Division B in the last edition of this tournament and suffered a stinging 68-73 overtime loss against New Caledonia, coincidentally.
 
This time, New Caledonia will be the destination of Tahiti's redemption bid as its U17 squad looks to learn from that lesson and use that experience to deliver against Oceania powerhouses in this 8-team tourney slated August 19-24.
 
“Our primary objective for this tournament is to do better than we did two years ago. We want to qualify in the Top Four," said head coach Tuhiata Mariteragi in their bridesmaid Division B finish back in 2017 Oceania tilt in Guam.
 
Tahiti paraded a younger squad that time with a 14-year age average. This year, Tahiti will field a roster with a 15-year age average in a bid to continue its youth basketball development, more than just the success tournament-wise.
 
The mission, however, will be easier said than done as admitted by Mariteragi especially with an expected tough competition in Group B with host New Caledonia, Samoa, and the Cook Islands.
 
“We acknowledge that each team we will encounter will have a serious advantage over us,” she said.

Tahiti's short preparation time also took a hit because of school commitments of the players but Mariteragi insisted that they will be ready especially with some other player gaining valuable experience during the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa.

“We had to wait until the exams were over before we could get all the girls for training. But we will have a few players who gained valuable experience in the 2019 Pacific Games.
 
Nevertheless, that is not an issue at all as Mariteragi expect an all-out effort from her wards game in and game out with having fun and experience remaining as still the ultimate goal.
 
“This year, the team’s average age is 15 years old, which is still relatively young for a U17 tournament. We will take on each team as they come, and we will give our best game after game. We will do our best to represent Tahiti and the values of Fenua,” she concluded.

FIBA